"It happened not too far from here...": a survey of legend theory and characterization
Article Abstract:
A historical survey of legend scholarship demonstrates the difficulty in characterizing the genre. Literary qualities, relation to rumor, morphology, stylistics, historicity, psychological aspects, context and social function have all been considered in order to isolate the characteristics of legend. Summarizing the results, a typical legend can be described as a short, traditional, historicized narrative performed conversationally, reflecting folk beliefs and reinforcing group values.
Publication Name: Western Folklore
Subject: Regional focus/area studies
ISSN: 0043-373X
Year: 1990
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"Who ya gonna call": ministers and the mediation of ghostly threat in Danish legend tradition
Article Abstract:
An analysis of Danish ghost legends is presented, focusing on how mediator selection reflects challenges to Lutheran church power in the late 19th century. Topics include purgatory, power of the minister, alternative mediators, and politics and culture.
Publication Name: Western Folklore
Subject: Regional focus/area studies
ISSN: 0043-373X
Year: 1998
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Los Angeles intersections: folklore and the city
Article Abstract:
The changeable social landscape of Los Angeles, CA, encourages widely varied cultural potential, making it one of the most complex areas in the world. There is not single Los Angeles, but rather a location of constantly reinterpreted space.
Publication Name: Western Folklore
Subject: Regional focus/area studies
ISSN: 0043-373X
Year: 1999
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